Dentists have always been a pretty lucky bunch. Complete your dental degree and hang out your shingle just about anywhere and you have a pretty high likelihood of leading a very good life.
You probably never realised it would be as physically and mentally demanding a job as it is, but nonetheless, work hard and you will reap the rewards throughout a generally long career.
The truth too, is that this is unlikely to change, in Australia at least. There are plenty of statistics out there that will provide solace should it be needed... an oversupply of patients ready for the filling, not to mention the fact that half the population doesn't even have a regular checkup. It's pretty hard to go wrong.
So the question isn't whether or not you're feeling lucky, it's a question of just how lucky do you want to be? Or, dentally speaking, the problem is not filling your appointment book, but rather what type of patients you want to fill it with. And a lot of dentists are realising this too.
Many of you have sampled the smorgasbord of dental life and decided that your palate leans towards delivering more comprehensive dentistry... or more cosmetic procedures... or implants...
Dentist-logic goes something along the lines of if you build it, they will come, or rather, if I know how to do something, then luck will follow. The trouble is that many dentists who are pursuing a higher level of skill in a certain area or investing in equipment to deliver dentistry a certain way, are feeling they're not as lucky as they could be.
Dentistry, like every service, will inevitably come down to supply and demand and tailoring your services and expertise to a narrow segment of the market needs to be approached carefully.
If you're a GP covering the gamut of family dentistry, you will always make do. But if you want to control the way you practice in the future, then you cannot leave it to luck alone.
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